Wheee!!! Diving Into Davis Bay

SWIMMING FROM PIER TO pillar was a joy for these kids but nerve racking for the onlookers who saw the dangers. Although such activities can cause accidents, these haphazard dives into Davis Bay were pure fun.

We watched youngsters leap in the air without a care during a recent trip to visit family in Sechelt that started with a BC Ferry trip from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Langdale from where we drove past the Davis Bay pier.

The pillars were like a jungle gym with clusters of kids climbing up them.

Pier reflections glistened in crystal clear waters.

Pebbles gleamed on the beach floor.

The water mirrored its environment, from sky blue to forest green hues. Heading back from the wharf we saw the shore and ...

grasses prettily bordering the walkway.

There was a sign (click on photo for detail) with information about Davis Bay Wharf in the early years when children then, too, likely jumped off the pier with carefree abandon.

You can soak in more sites from around the globe at Watery Wednesday.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Sun Streams Over Vancouver Waters

This post will link to Wordless Wednesday and Watery Wednesday.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

Making Waves In Burnaby

WE HAVE SEEN PLENTY OF CATASTROPHES of biblical proportions recently. But some folk make waves and stir up worries unnecessarily. The recent doomsday predictions I mentioned in my previous post were all over the media but did not materialize. Although I didn't find their message credible, there is always a fleeting thought ... what if it IS true?

Like the water's edge I captured in Burnaby, BC, last week at Metrotown Mall ... it only seemed as if something awful was about to happen.

Heaven knows there are more than enough genuine disasters without the need to invent new ones.

Even if the world as we know it is destined to end, I would rather be surprised about the timing.

I would be much more inclined to worry about my last moments than enjoy them if I knew the details.

Thankfully, misguided predictions are often illusions like the water in my top photo that appears dangerously close to the cars but is actually contained in a harmless basin of bubbling fountains.

You can soak in more sites from around the globe at Watery Wednesday.

Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms

BCers Visit Italy, Switzerland & France; Pt 5: Watery Wonders In Rome & Venice

WATER OVERFLOWED in Italy. We saw ancient, sometimes famous, fountains such as Trevi Fountain (above) where I suddenly felt transported into the movie classic Three Coins In A Fountain. With my back to the fountain, I tossed in my own three coins and made wishes for my daughter, husband and me.

In ancient times there were nearly 600 public basins and dozens of elaborate fountains in Rome providing the essence of life. Most fell in disrepair, perhaps causing illness, but were revitalized over centuries. They still exist today spilling out what is said to be safe, drinkable water for the public to enjoy.

I could not resist taking a delicious sip at the Barcaccia Fountain thought to have been created by baroque artist Bernini in the early 1600s. Although impossible to recognize in the photograph, I am drinking from a "leak" at the bow of a beautifully sculpted sunken boat.

Picturesque rivers steam through cities like murky mirrors of days gone by. The bridge pictured above is one of several in Rome crossing the Tiber.

At St. Mark's Square in Venice people took off their shoes and walked in several inches of sea water. These mini floods happen periodically because of the increasingly high tide of the Adriatic Sea and the slow sinking of the islands built on sandbars. Waiting ramps were quickly set up for people going into restaurants. While on the ramp, I was stunned when my camera dropped from my hand and just missed bouncing into the water. (Note to self ... buy a strap for the camera!)

During our gondola experience, we saw water reach the lower floor of buildings where we also noticed a bobbing bottle of water. A small bottle of drinking water cost over five dollars Canadian in some places. The free glass of water we expect at our tables in BC restaurants would generally cost extra during a meal in Italy. “Still water or sparkling?” the servers would ask.

One of the great watery wonders on the planet must surely be Venice (pictured above). This magical place was a highlight of our trip and is the subject of my upcoming post.

Find more liquid adventures from around the globe at Watery Wednesday.